


How to Care for Humans

by pepperminttea3



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 16:23:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9243866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperminttea3/pseuds/pepperminttea3
Summary: When Fitz arrives at Radcliffe’s flat with a cold, Aida practices her caretaking skills.





	

Fitz removed his jacket and shook rain water from the fabric, shivering as he remembered the icy shock of the unexpected winter shower. Getting caught in the rain, which was just a degree or two from being snow, hadn’t done anything to help the cold he had been fighting for the past couple of days. He pulled a few tissues from his pocket to catch a forceful sneeze, then suppressed another shiver.

As he’d been doing most days, Fitz had made his way directly to Radcliffe’s flat to work on Aida once he’d finished up at the lab. The older scientist wouldn’t be home, he knew; Radcliffe was still dealing with repercussions from the events with Hive— _which means paperwork_ , Fitz thought with a smirk, thinking of their new director’s “upgraded” system.

He hung up his jacket and took a deep breath, steeling himself for the hours of work ahead of him. He and Simmons had both been so busy lately that it was a rare night they spent more than a couple of hours in the same bed. But if she’d realized Fitz was ill, he was sure she would have already relegated him to the couch so that she wouldn’t catch his cold, fretting that she didn’t have time to be sick. 

As it was, Fitz didn’t really have time to be sick, either. So he’d simply decided he was fine and continued with his work. Today, he was planning on making a few minor calibrations to Aida’s left temporoparietal junction—or, more accurately, her program’s approximation of one.

As he moved further into the flat, Fitz heard faint sounds coming from the sitting room. His stomach dropped and he stopped abruptly, suddenly alert. He looked around slowly, cautiously. His gun was still in his bag by the door. Should he go back for it, or--? 

“Fitz! How nice to see you!”

He jumped and clutched futilely at his pockets, but it was only Aida, smiling benignly at him. 

“Aida! I thought we talked about not sneaking up on me when I come over.” 

Her smile faded and she looked contrite.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Stealth is one of my primary strengths.” 

“I know, I know. No need to apologize. I just wasn’t expecting to see you…out and about.” It _was_ strange that Aida was there to greet him. Normally, as a precaution, they shut her down and hid her when they weren’t working on her programming or having her assist them with other procedures. “Radcliffe’s not here, is he?”

“You just missed him. He left about ten minutes before you arrived.”

A bit clumsy, really, for Radcliffe to leave Aida out when he’d gone, even if he had known Fitz would be along shortly. Was it possible that Radcliffe was getting a little too sympathetic towards the android? Fitz shook his head, trying to ignore the faint throbbing behind his eyes that the movement incited; he’d have to remind Radcliffe about their conversations on discretion the next time he saw the man.

“And what have you been up to while you’ve been on your own?”

Aida indicated the sitting room, and they walked in together.

“I’ve been watching television. Doctor Radcliffe says it will help me learn to behave more like a human. I was watching a show called _Real Housewives_ when you came in. If I may ask, why do these women fight with each other so often?”

Fitz’s eyes drifted to the TV, then sprung open in alarm.

“Oh God, no, you don’t want to behave like that!” he said, darting to the remote and hitting the power button. “I’ll put together a list of shows you’ll like. They’ll be much better for you.”

Aida smiled. “I’d appreciate that.” 

“I’m going to be making a few adjustments today, if you’d care to…uh…”

It was always a strange sensation, having Aida around as he worked. Radcliffe seemed to enjoy it, talking to her, teaching her, and bouncing ideas off her as they came to him. But when Fitz was alone, he found the whole thing rather intimate; after all, he was effectively programming her brain. Having her watch while he did so seemed somehow wrong. 

The alternative, though, was shutting her down and locking her away, and that never sat well with him either. So Fitz frequently found himself inviting Aida to the lab with him while he worked. 

Today might be uncomfortable for different reasons, thought Fitz. It felt like two days of trying to fight off this bloody cold were finally beginning to catch up with him. The faint throbbing that had begun in his head earlier had become more of a consistent ache, his sore throat was making his voice sound strained and scratchy, and his nose had been tickling fiercely since he’d arrived.

As he entered the lab, Fitz stifled a sneeze in the crook of his arm and sighed quietly. Aida may not truly have the capacity to question his choices, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel a sense of responsibility toward her. He wanted Aida to trust him. And just now, Fitz didn’t even trust his own body to behave. 

Still, he went through his usual routine—turning on his computers and equipment, checking his previous notes. The comfort of the familiar rhythm reassured him, and he settled into his work with Aida sitting serenely to his side.

Overall, she wasn’t bad company to have around. She didn’t distract him or fluster him. She simply sat, a pleasant companion. 

He worked steadily, determined to complete the calibrations he had set himself for the day. Unfortunately, it seemed that his body had other ideas. While he’d been doing his best to put his symptoms out of his mind, they were relentless in catching him up. He sniffled and coughed his way through the first half hour, occasionally pulling a tissue from the box beside him to catch a forceful sneeze. After three or four of these, Fitz had a curious realization.

Sometimes Aida was so lifelike that it was easy to forget how much she still didn’t know. Fitz didn’t mind that Aida wasn’t acknowledging his sneezes. Really, he preferred it that way. The constant interruption to his work was frustrating enough without having it continuously pointed out.

But Aida needed to pass for human. Fitz and Radcliffe had been trying to remember to correct or instruct her in the nuances of human behavior whenever possible.

He took a deep breath. Attempting to explain to Aida the reasons why people did what they did tended to be exhausting.

Fitz cleared his throat. 

“Er, Aida.” 

She turned, her face expectant. 

“When someone…uh, sneezes...” _Why did he feel unbelievably awkward explaining this?_ “It’s customary to acknowledge it with a response.”

Her brow furrowed slightly.

“A response? But why? Isn’t sneezing a normal automatic function of the human body?”

“Yes, it is. But people just tend to…wish each other well afterward. It’s the leftover remnants of a superstition that demons could enter the body when a person sneezed. People don’t believe in it anymore, but they’ve held on to the custom.”

“I see.” She considered for a moment. “And what kind of response is required?”

“Well, ‘bless you’ or ‘gesundheit’ are most common.” 

“English-speaking people use a German phrase to wish health to others when their body performs an involuntary function?”

“Er…pretty much, yeah.”

“Is this exchange common with any other human bodily functions? Yawning or urination or—”

Fitz’s eyes widened and he cut her off.

“No! No…just sneezing.”

Aida looked puzzled for a moment, but her expression cleared and she smiled. 

“Humans are fascinating.”

“Yes, we’re charming…excuse me…” Fitz’s breath faltered, and he turned to the side to sneeze into the crook of his arm. The sound was becoming more forceful as his resolve faded.

“Bless you,” said Aida, and he chuckled a bit around his sniffles.

“You’re a fast learner.”

“Yes, that’s how I’m programmed.”

~~~~~

Some time later, as Fitz was trying to force his cloudy brain and tired eyes to focus on his screen, a cup of tea appeared on the desk next to him. He glanced up to see Aida standing by his chair.

“Thanks for the tea,” he muttered.

“I think it’s best that you take a break,” she responded, nudging the cup closer to him. 

“Do you? Well, that’s not necessary.” 

She was quiet for a moment. Then he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t look well, Fitz.”

He sniffled and turned his attention back to the screen.

“I’m fine.”

“I believe you may be ill. Please, let me examine you and I can—” 

“Really, Aida, there’s no need. It’s just a cold, nothing to worry about.”

“Human rhinovirus,” she nodded. “I suspected as much. There are ninety-nine different types of recognized human rhinovirus that differ according to their serotypes. Which one is affecting you?”

“That’s…not really important to know.”

She looked a little unconvinced. 

“The recommended treatments for the common cold are rest, hydration, and decongestant or pain relief medications as needed. Doctor Radcliffe’s guest room is all prepared. Your body needs to rest, Fitz.”

He sighed heavily. He was too exhausted to argue with an android.

~~~~~

Fitz had developed a habit of leaving an overnight bag at Radcliffe’s. He rarely slept there—any overnight sessions were normally spent working until all hours of the night and passing out on their keyboards around 3 AM—but still, his bag was always ready.

As he stepped into Radcliffe’s guest room—modestly appointed, but with high-quality, contemporary furnishings—he saw that Aida had retrieved his bag and laid his sleep clothes out on the bed: a faded grey t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting plaid pajama pants. He couldn’t help but marvel at his own handiwork; so many human habits were already familiar to her. But she had so many yet to learn.

He changed quickly, shivering during the brief moments his body was uncovered. Fitz hadn’t realized just how exhausted he was until he relaxed into the softness of the bed. But as he sunk back against the pillows, the full weight of the past few weeks seemed to settle over him.

He’d been spending almost every spare moment here at Radcliffe’s working on Aida, and with Simmons constantly being summoned for special assignments by the director, he’d been taking on more and more work in the lab on base. Aida was right; he needed rest.

A soft knock came on the door, and Aida entered carrying a large glass of water, several bottles of pills, and a digital thermometer. Though he was wearing a t-shirt, Fitz instinctively pulled the covers up over himself. He wasn’t embarrassed, exactly. But feeling this vulnerable in front of Aida also made him strangely uncomfortable.

“Feeling any better?” Aida asked. She set down the water, medicine and thermometer on the bedside table, then perched on the side of the bed. Fitz tried to answer, but his throat caught and he launched into a coughing fit instead. He swallowed a bit of the water and tried not to look as pathetic as he felt.

“Feeling fantastic.” He had no idea whether the android would pick up on his sarcasm.

“That response was meant to be comical?” she replied.

“Er…yeah.”

Suddenly, her expression was so soft that Fitz had to marvel once again at his own efforts. “I’m sorry you’re ill. Will you allow me to take your temperature?” 

Normally he would say no, but Aida needed to practice interacting with humans on this kind of close, personal level. He nodded.

Aida placed her hand on his forehead for the briefest of moments.

“One hundred point five three degrees Fahrenheit,” she announced. Though her hand felt nice on his forehead—and amazingly lifelike—Fitz knew that wouldn’t do.

“Ah, here, Aida, use this.” He handed her the digital thermometer, and she examined it distastefully. 

“But my temperature sensors are far more accurate than this.”

“I know, but people can’t tell something’s temperature just from touching it. You’ll need to use the tools that the rest of us do. Or, at least, pretend you’re using them.”

She nodded. “I’ll be sure to do that next time. But it’s clear that you are running a fever. I recommend a dose of acetaminophen and some sleep.”

As much as he hated to admit it, Fitz knew Aida was right. Besides—this bed really was remarkably comfortable. 

She handed him a pair of pills and the cup of water, and nodded approvingly as he swallowed them. Then her expression changed to one of pensiveness. 

“I won’t ever get sick,” she mused. “What’s it like?” 

“It’s bloody terrible,” he answered. “You can’t sleep, you can’t _breathe._ Your whole body aches, your throat is sore, and there’s a constant buzzing in your head. And th _ehh_ —” his breath hitched slightly, and he reached for a tissue from the bedside table. He sneezed into the folds, then sighed heavily. “And then there’s that,” he said. “Believe me, you certainly aren’t missing anything.” 

“No, I suppose not,” Aida said. “But you’ll feel better soon, Fitz. The medicine will help you sleep.” She stood, picking up the thermometer and pill bottles. “I’ll check on you in a couple of hours.”

Logically, Fitz knew that he shouldn’t leave Aida to roam Radcliffe’s apartment, watching god knew what on television—or worse. He knew it wasn’t safe. That she wasn’t ready. But just now, as he drifted off to a fevered sleep, he couldn’t help but be comforted to know that someone would be there to take care of him when he woke.


End file.
